Outlook Classic - Lost Contacts and Distribution Lists After Removing/Re-adding Comcast IMAP Account

Question

What happened:

• After the Comcast/Xfinity to Yahoo migration, the original IMAP account was removed from Outlook Classic while troubleshooting a synchronization problem. It could not be re-added to Outlook Classic because the account setup kept defaulting to Comcast instead of Yahoo. The original Outlook Classic profile—and my Contacts and distribution lists—were never restored

What I've already checked:

• No Contacts folder appears in Outlook.
• Current [PII: Removed]OST is only about 16 MB.
• The old large OST appears to be gone.
• Recycle Bin: nothing.
• Previous Versions: none. Any ideas to help me get my contacts back?

Answer 1

Hi Alice,

The only PST found was a tiny Outlook.pst (~271 KB), not a backup of contacts. Searched for OST files – I found the current 16 MB OST, but not the original large OST. Recycle Bin – nothing. Previous Versions – checked; none, No known backup.

The big issue for me is:

After the original IMAP account was removed from Outlook Classic, I was not able to add it back. When I entered my email address which did not change, Outlook Classic's automatic account setup always tried to configure it as a Comcast/Xfinity account. There was no option to specify that the account had been migrated to a 3rd party (Yahoo), and I was never presented with the Yahoo sign-in (OAuth) screen.

Because of that, I was unable to recreate the original Outlook Classic profile. Email access was eventually restored using New Outlook, where the Yahoo authentication process was available, but the original Classic Outlook profile containing my Contacts and Contact Groups was never successfully recreated.

Is there a way to force Outlook Classic to authenticate the migrated Comcast account through Yahoo instead of Comcast? Could that explain why I could not restore my original profile? At any rate I much prefer Classic Outlook.

Thanks,

Joyce

Answer 2

@Joyce Grande said

After the Comcast/Xfinity to Yahoo migration, the original IMAP account was removed from Outlook Classic ... It could not be re-added to Outlook Classic ... The original Outlook Classic profile—and my Contacts and distribution lists—were never restored

I realize that this is "Closing the barn door after the horse is gone" and will not be of any help to you in your current situation. But ...

For anyone else who comes here looking for help with a Comcast to Yahoo migration:

Fixing a Comcast account that has been migrated to Yahoo and the steps to Export your Calendar and Contacts before making the move. See the Answer by "Hornblower409 Apr 16, 2026" in
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5663018/outlook-wont-let-me-sign-into-my-imap-server

How to prevent this from happening the next time you have to change IMAP email providers:

Don’t risk losing your Contacts and Calendar when using IMAP with Classic Outlook
[External Non-Microsoft Site] https://robert365.com/article/do-not-risk-losing-your-contacts-and-calendar-when-using-imap

Answer 3

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.    

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Hi Joyce Grande

Please reply with these details only, without posting personal information:

• Do you find any .pst file when searching the PC?
• Does Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles show more than one Outlook profile?
• Do the contacts appear in Yahoo Mail contacts on the web?
• Was there any Windows File History, OneDrive, or full PC backup before the account was removed?

Also follow these steps:

1) Check whether an old Outlook data file still exists

Close Outlook, then open File Explorer and search the whole PC for these file types:

• .pst
• .ost

Also check these common Outlook data file locations:

• C:\Users<your Windows user name>\Documents\Outlook Files
• C:\Users<your Windows user name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

If you do not see the AppData folder, turn on hidden folders and file name extensions in Windows File Explorer options.

2) Open any old .pst file instead of importing it first

If you find a .pst file, do not import it immediately. Open it first so you can check whether the contacts are inside.

• Open Classic Outlook.
• Select File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File.
• Choose the .pst file you found.
• In the left folder pane, expand the opened Outlook Data File.
• Check for Contacts, Suggested Contacts, Contact Groups, or any older folder that may contain the missing distribution lists.

3) If contacts are found, copy them into the current Contacts folder

After opening the old Outlook Data File:

• Go to People/Contacts in Classic Outlook.
• Open the Contacts folder inside the old Outlook Data File.
• Select the recovered contacts.
• Copy or move them to the current Contacts folder.
• For distribution lists/contact groups, open each group and save it again if needed.

If you want to create a backup after recovery, use File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Export to a file > Outlook Data File (.pst), and make sure Include subfolders is selected.

4) Check whether the old Outlook profile is still available

The missing contacts may still be linked to the old Outlook profile instead of the newly added Comcast/Yahoo IMAP account.

• Close Outlook.
• Open Control Panel.
• Search for Mail.
• Select Mail (Microsoft Outlook) > Show Profiles.
• If more than one profile appears, choose Prompt for a profile to be used.
• Reopen Outlook and test each profile to see whether the old Contacts folder appears.

5) Repair a found .pst file if it appears but will not open correctly

If you find a .pst file but Outlook cannot open it, use Microsoft’s Inbox Repair Tool.

• Close Outlook.
• Open SCANPST.EXE.
• Browse to the .pst file.
• Select Start.
• If errors are found, select Repair.
• Reopen Outlook and check for a Recovered Personal Folders or Lost and Found folder.

See: Repair Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost) | Microsoft Support

6) Check the provider’s web contacts

Since the Comcast/Xfinity account was migrated to Yahoo, also check whether the contacts exist online.

• Sign in to Yahoo Mail on the web.
• Open Contacts.
• Check whether the missing Comcast/Xfinity contacts were migrated there.
• If they exist online, export them from Yahoo if available, then import them into Outlook as contacts.

7) If no old .pst, .ost, profile, or provider contacts exist

If the old large data file is gone, there is no Recycle Bin copy, no Previous Versions copy, no backup, and the contacts are not in Yahoo web contacts, Outlook does not have a separate cloud recovery option for contacts that existed only in a removed local IMAP Outlook profile.

At that point, the remaining recovery options are outside Outlook:

• Check Windows File History, OneDrive backup, or any full PC backup.
• Check whether a local technician can recover deleted Outlook data files from the drive.
• Rebuild the distribution lists from sent emails, old messages, or any exported contact files you may still have.

Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!  

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